Angels in the Ashes
by theatergirl
Summary: They finally turned onto Taylor's street where the truth became inevitable. Taylor's house was on fire.
1. Where There's Smoke

Disclaimer: I do not own Flight 29 down; it's characters or the lyrics used in this story. The lyrics are from New Radicals "You Get What You Give." Is a disclaimer really necessary? Its FAN FICTION... oh well.

_Wake up kids__  
__We've got the dreamers disease_  
_Age fourteen_  
_They got you down on your knees_  
_So polite_

_You're busy still saying please_  
_Frienemies_  
_Who when you're down ain't your friend_  
_Every night_  
_We smash their Mercedes-Benz_  
_First we run_  
_And then we laugh till we cry_  
_But when the night is falling_  
_you cannot find the light _  
_If you feel your dreams are dying_  
_Hold tight..._

Two very off key voices sang as loud as they could with the radio in Daley's car. Daley's body bounced in an attempt to dance, while her hands tapped the steering wheel in time with the music; and Taylor swung her head around, and danced the best she could in the tiny car. This song was the perfect end to the perfect weekend. Taylor had crashed at Daley's house all weekend watching movies, talking, and countless other teenage girl things. Ever since they had been rescued from the island about a year ago, Taylor and Daley had surprisingly grown as close as friends could be. Sadly, it was Sunday evening, and Daley was driving her best friend home. She turned left, into the "rich neighborhood", and turned the radio down.

"Hey!" Taylor whined, and gave her the look she had gotten so many times before on the island.

Daley ignored her, and pointed to the sky. "Look." Thick black smoke was raising to the sky a few streets away from where they were.

"Woah. Daley... my house is over that way... you don't think..."

"No." Daley cut her off, but there was no hiding the fear in her voice. The smoke was coming from right where Taylor's house was, and she knew it.

A car honked from behind them, and Daley was snapped out of her trance, and realized she had stopped her car in the middle of the road. She put her foot on the gas petal, and drove slowly; she crept up one street after another. Taylor was getting fidgety, and never took her eyes off the smoke.

They finally turned onto Taylor's street, and as they neared her house the truth became inevitable. Taylor's house was on fire. Taylor gasped, and the words "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh" escaped her mouth in a whisper. Daley pulled over a few houses away; it was the closest she could get to the house. Police and firefighters were running around pulling hoses off of their fire trucks, and directing gawking motorists around the scene.

Taylor tried to get out of the car so fast she was jerked back by her fastened seatbelt. She unhooked it, and leaped out of the car, and ran screaming towards the house. She reached her front lawn, and scanned the crowd; her parents were not in it.

"Oh no." She breathed. "Please no!" "Mom!! Daddy!!" She screamed as she ran towards the front door, which had flames shooting out of it. She had almost reached it, when a pair of strong arms grabbed her around the waist, and carried her away. Taylor went with a fight.

"NO!! LET ME GO!! MY PARENTS! PLEASE! PLEASE!!" She was crying, and kicking trying to get loose. Taylor stretched her arms out as far as she could trying to reach her house, but her hands only met the smoky air. She needed to get inside; she needed to get to her parents. "STOP!! PLEASE!! LET GO OF ME! Please... Please." She was crying so hard that she could hardly speak. Her tears fell furiously onto the fireman's coat washing some of the ash away. "Please." Her words came out in whispers, and she suddenly felt tired, and was no longer able to kick or scream. She went limp in the fireman's arms, and watched as her beautiful house burned with her parents in it.

Short I know. But the next chapter is more about Taylor and Daley at the scene of the fire, and you find out what happens to her parents. It's dramatic, and I love dramatic. I hope you all do also. So please review, and let me know what you think! Flames (no pun intended) are accepted, so is constructive criticism! So please tell me what you think!


	2. Daddy

Disclaimer: I do not own Flight 29 Down, or it's characters.

A/N. - Thanks to everyone who reviewed my first chapter!

The mysterious strong arms carried the surprisingly light girl away from the engulfed house, and sat her down on the back of an ambulance. Taylor looked him in the face, her eyes full of confusion, but emptying out with tears. Daley ran over to where she was, and Taylor immediately threw her arms around her neck. She cried into her shoulder, speaking muffled words that no one could make out. Daley held her tightly, rubbing her back, while she tried to conceal her own tears. She needed to be strong for her friend right now. Taylor's parents, Jonathon and Audrie, were just as much her parents as Taylor's; and picturing them in the fiery hell was too much for her to think of, so she didn't. She just concentrated on holding Taylor's shaking body, while people ran frantically around them in slow motion.

Suddenly, wild with grief, Taylor pulled away, and made another break for the house. This time an EMT grabbed her, and brought her back to Daley. He took them both into the back of the ambulance, and explained to the calmer teen that he was going to lock them inside the ambulance for a while; for Taylor's own safety. Daley held Taylor away from the door, as the EMT closed it. There was a hollow click as the door locked, and Daley let her friend go. Taylor immediately ran to the door, screaming and trying to pull it open. She beat her fists on the window, pleading for someone to let her out. She clawed at the door, and eventually at her own skin unaware of what she was really doing. Daley stayed plastered to the back wall of the tiny ambulance. Seeing Taylor so wild like this made her fear for her own safety, and was unsure about being locked in there with her. There was not telling what she might do.

Taylor could only take so much before feeling tired again. She calmed down, and just started out the window crying. Daley approached her slowly, and put a reassuring arm around her, and they peered out the window together. The scene outside the quiet little room was worse than any of the horror movies they had watched over the weekend. Firemen, and firewomen were running into the house, while others stayed outside with fire hoses that blasted out powerful streams of water. Something within the house exploded; the windows shattered, spewing glass in every direction. "Oh God." Taylor's voice came out weak, and child like. She hid her face in Daley's shoulder for only a moment, but when she looked back up again; Daley's skin dripped with her tears, almost if her shoulder were crying too.

After a while, Taylor's outbursts ceased, and she stood calmly trying to see out of the window through her teary eyes. Daley kept her arm securely around Taylor's small frame, and continued to hold her tears inside.

The fire was out now, but no one had bothered to let the girls out. A group of EMTs emerged from the house pushing a gurney covered with a white sheet. Taylor stood straight up, as her breathing became faster. It was obvious there was a body under the sheet, but who? "A maid. Please God, just let it be a maid." Daley prayed silently, and felt bad for hoping a particular person was dead, but it couldn't be Mr. or Mrs. Hagan... it just couldn't. The EMTs rolled the gurney past their ambulance heading for one of the others that were there. It was that moment when the girls noticed a large hang hanging limply from under the sheet. On one of the fingers rested a super bowl ring, it was Taylor's father.

"DADDY!! DADDY! PLEASE GOD, NO!!" Taylor screamed louder than ever before she went into hysterics pounding in the window, and screaming for her father. She grabbed Daley's wrist, and raising it up, she beat it on the window. "Daley, please... you have to help me get out." She let her go, and started running around frantically, pounding on anything possible, and screaming at the top of her lungs. She ran until she fell down, and she stayed there weeping and beating her own body until she was red. Daley covered her face with both hands, and sobbed just as hard as Taylor. She backed herself up into a wall, and sunk down until she was sitting opposite of Taylor. She couldn't take seeing her like this; the hysterics scared her, and she didn't know how to make it all better. She couldn't. Jonathon Hagan was dead.

A/N. - Luckily I have never experienced a fire, so I have NO idea how they deal with hysterical people. I highly doubt that they lock them in ambulances for safety, but I thought it would be a good place. : The whole story will not be the girls at the scene of the fire, so bear with me for just a bit longer. So you all know the drill: review!! I think it would be so great to have something from everyone who reads this. : Thanks!!


	3. Praying

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Flight 29 Down, or its characters.

A/N- special thanks to everyone who has reviewed, and to my lovely betas!

The EMTs opened the ambulance doors to find two teenaged, but very much little, girls in two totally different states. The redhead was cowering near the door and sprang out into the sunlight as soon as it was opened. She grabbed a young EMT's arm and shook him. Her tears flowed heavily, and she pleaded with him, almost in a crazed condition.

"Please, you have to help her!" She could barely speak now, and her voice was lost between sobs. "Please! You have to do something! Help her, please!" Her voice lowered to a whisper, and her last words came out defeated, "Please... I don't know what to do. I don't know what to do."

Daley felt as defeated as she sounded. She was always the 'go-to' girl; she always knew what to do, and how she was going to do it.

She let him go and pushed him towards the ambulance. What he saw inside was a young girl with messy blonde hair sitting with her back against a wall. She was in some sort of shock: she sat calmly, and she was crying soft tears that landed on her light pink skirt, creating dark pink spots. Her long fingernails were scratching the sides of her legs, leaving marks, and little beads of blood had appeared from a few of them. She looked to him, her face a sea of redness and watery streams.

"Please," she whispered to him, "can you help me get out? I need to get out."

Trauma had definitely taken a toll on her, and the EMT calmly approached her and answered, "Yes, I'll get you out. Just give me your hand and I will get you out."

He held out his hand to her, and she took it slowly, gazing into his eyes as if she were in love. He helped her stand up, and led her to the opening of the ambulance. She squinted in the sunlight, and shielded her eyes in the brightness. He led her to Daley, and Taylor stood facing her house, or what was left of it. She was unusually calm... maybe too calm. Daley didn't know what was worse: the terrible hysterics, or the unusual calmness.

She never had time to decide: the next moment the EMTs came out of the house pushing another gurney. A woman with a tiny frame lay on it; her skin was charred to a blackish ashy color. Her singed, long, blonde hair hung down over the sides of the bed, just as her father's hand had. She was still, seemingly lifeless, but a sheet didn't cover her.

Taylor's calmness escaped her as quickly as she was running to get to her mother. Daley didn't follow. She turned her back on the situation because, once again, there was absolutely nothing she could do. Also, she didn't want to see Mrs. Hagan in her current condition; the pain of the loss of her own mother pricked at her. Losing Audrie... well, it would be like losing her mother all over again. It was the hardest thing she ever had to do, and she knew she would not be able to deal with this... not so soon.

Daley sat down in the grass and bowed her head. She wasn't really a religious person, but she did believe in God. She prayed to him every day since her mother died; she liked to believe that she was with him, safe and happy. Today, however, she needed him for a different reason.

_Please, God, please. Don't take Audrie from Taylor... from me. Don't put her through that. _Her tears were able to squeeze out of her tightly closed eyes. Her prayer got repetitive, and she pleaded with him to save her. _God... please. I'll do anything if you save her. Anything. Take me instead, Lord. Take me, and spare Audrie. Please, in Jesus' name I pray, please, save Audrie._

She opened her eyes, and wiped her tears. She stood up, saw Taylor kneeling down beside the gurney, and ran over to where she was. Daley stood a few feet away, watching Taylor talk to her unresponsive mother, watching Mrs. Hagan lay motionless. Watching was all she could really do when she knew she could not control the situation.

Taylor saw the burned woman, and immediately knew it was her mother. She bolted to her side and stood gawking, in awe of what she was seeing. She was almost unrecognizable, her features masked by black burns that covered her body. The woman was barley conscious; her glazed eyes stared straight up at the sky, and Taylor knew she might die right before her eyes.

Taylor knelt down by her mother, and held her hand. "Mommy, Mommy..." She spoke the only words she could think to say, and squeezed her mother's hand, not wanting to let go. Her mother remained still, probably not even aware that her daughter was by her side. Mrs. Hagan's eyes closed as she lost consciousness, and Taylor's familiar tears began to run. "No. Please… mom..." She tearfully pleaded with her mother, gently shaking her rough, burned hand. She buried her face into her mother shoulder and cried for only a moment before an EMT gently pulled her away, and Mrs. Hagan was wheeled into an ambulance.

Taylor stood statue-like, watching the scene being played out in front of her, completely unaware of anything other than the white ambulance and the EMTs that were loading her mother into it. Her eyes burned slightly as ash from her mother's body tickled and irritated them. Her face was marked with black smudges, and her tears created a line pattern as they ran down her face and dropped off of her quivering chin.

Daley appeared beside her, taking her hand, and Taylor looked at her friend for a few seconds until the ambulance came to life with flashing lights and loud sirens. The ambulance containing her dead father also awoke, and they pulled out of Taylor's front yard and onto the crowded street. Taylor, still clutching Daley's hand, jogged after them, and together they ran down the sidewalk, until they could no longer hear the sirens and the big white vehicles had disappeared.


	4. When the World is Quiet

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Flight 29 Down, or it's characters.

And now, silence. Taylor's world was always filled with so much noise that she had almost forgotten what the quiet sounded like. It was mysterious and suspenseful; it gave her the feeling that anything, tragedy or miracle, could happen. And would happen. The silence gave no clues toward what card fate was going to throw on the table. But that didn't matter. There was only right now, this very moment; and in this moment there was only Taylor and the quiet. She felt as if she were half asleep, unable to think clearly or move any part of her body. She wanted so badly to remember this feeling, but couldn't tell exactly how she felt. She guessed she was either feeling a great peacefulness or a great shock.

"Taylor." A hand came to rest on her shoulder breaking her thoughts and chasing away her calmness. She turned to see Daley urging her towards the car. "Come on, we're going to the hospital. I called dad and Olivia, they're meeting us there." She turned in the direction of her car not noticing that Taylor wasn't with her.

Taylor stayed rooted to the sidewalk battling with herself whether she wanted to follow Daley or not. Maybe if she didn't go her parents would walk out of the fire all right. Maybe avoiding the hospital would make this whole situation better: snap her back to reality because everything seemed so unreal. Or maybe she was just too afraid to go.

Daley had only walked a few yards before she noticed that she was alone. She turned back to see Taylor still on the sidewalk nodding and shaking her head as if someone were talking to her. Daley bit her lip so hard that a small bead of blood escaped as she walked back over to Taylor. She stood right in front of her, only a foot away, which made Taylor take notice of her presence.

"Hey," she spoke softly, her voice bursting with compassion. "C'mon let's get outta here, we gotta get to the hospital."

"I don't think I can..." Taylor's voice broke and she covered her mouth with her hand. A few tears rolled over her fingers, and dropped down onto her new pink flip-flops.

"Hey, hey..." Daley speaking just as before guided Taylor's hand down and held onto it tightly. "I'm here, I'll always be here. I won't leave you... unless you want me to." Taylor squeezed her hand into Daley's.

"Promise?" she whispered.

"Yes." Out of reflex she leaned forward and lightly kissed Taylor's forehead. "I promise."

"Oh... ok." Taylor, a little more stunned than before, kept a firm hold on Daley's hand as she lead her back to the car.

_At the hospital_

"Daley!" A man with his arm around a dark haired woman called out to the girls as they entered the ER lobby.

"Dad!" Her cradled the redhead in his arms; the dark haired woman kissed the back of her head before turning her attention to the blonde girl.

"Taylor, honey. Are... are you ok Are you hurt?" She cupped the young girl's teary face in her hands, and then began to gently stroke her hair.

"No." She realized that 'no', could be mistaken as an answer to the first question so she added, "I'm not hurt."

"Oh, thank God. Thank God both of you are safe." She pulled Taylor into a long hug, which Taylor accepted gladly. The four stayed this way for a long time, Daley in her father's arms, and Taylor in Olivia's.

A/N- This is a little shorter than what I usually write, but I thought this would be a good place to end this chapter. I have had writers block on this story for a really long time, so reviews would be appreciated, as they always are. Thanks to girlyworld95 for encouraging me so much while trying to write this chapter! Thanks for reading!


	5. The Unmistakable Parallels

**Disclaimer: I do not own Flight 29 Down or its characters.**

**A/N- Thanks to everyone who encouraged me, betaed for me, and reviewed!**

* * *

The group sat silently in the lobby waiting for an update and for the first time since they'd arrived, Daley noticed that someone was missing.

"Um, guys, where's Lex?"

"He's staying the night as his cousin's house."

"Oh." She tilted her head to rest on Taylor's, whose head was already resting on Daley's shoulder. In response Taylor slipped her arm through Daley's, and linked their fingers together.

"Miss Hagan?" A middle-aged woman, obviously a doctor, approached the group slowly, perhaps hoping that this "Taylor Hagan" girl would not be waiting for her.

"Yes, that's me." She sat herself up, but never let go of Daley's hand.

"I'm Dr. Morris."

"Where's my dad? How's my mom? Can I see her?"

"Yes, you can see your mother now. We've stabilized her, but unfortunately she's in a coma. Again, she is stable, we've put her on life support, but there's not much else I can tell you."

"A coma?" Taylor's eyes filled to the brim with tears. "For how long?"

"We're not sure. It could be only a few days, maybe months, and there's the possibility that she may never pull out of it. There's no way to tell, I'm very sorry."

Taylor's pent up tears began to fall. She leaned forward in her chair, covered her face with her hands, and rested her elbows on her knees. She shook her head back and forth, her words muffled by her quivering hands.

Daley leaned back so that she was sitting straight up in her chair, blinking away the tears. She gripped the armrest with one hand and rubbed Taylor's back with the other. She wanted to do so much more, comfort her in a better way; but she could barely even look at her. She glanced at her father holding Olivia who had her face buried in his neck.

She bit her quivering lip and closed her eyes allowing her tears to flow freely at long last. She inhaled sharply realizing that everything in this moment was the same as before. She was in this very lobby sitting in these very chairs when she learned that her own mother might never wake up from her own coma. She had cried in the very same way Taylor was crying now and her father had held her aunt in the same way he was holding Olivia.

"And...my dad? Is he..." Taylor was staring the doctor in the face, not caring who saw her crying.

"I'm sorry Taylor."

She let out a small sigh and closed her leaking eyes. "Can I see him?"

"Honey," the doctor sat down beside her and took her hand. "He was burned very badly... he's not recognizable. I think it's best if you don't see." Taylor nodded but her friends could tell that she wasn't completely understanding or agreeing.

"But that's for me to decide. Right?"

"Yes, it is."

"Ok then. May I see my mother now?"

"Sure, would you like someone to come with you?" She gestured towards the Marins, and Taylor turned to face them.

"Um... I think I need to do this on my own."

"We'll be right here if you need anything, ok?" Olivia spoke compassionately, trying to smile through her mascara smeared face. Daley and her father each gave a small nod in agreement.

"Thank…thank you." Taylor hugged Olivia, then turned back to the doctor. "I'm ready now." She stole one last look at Daley who gave her a tiny teary smile.

"Bye," She whispered, and gave her a small wave.

"Bye." She nodded to Daley, and then followed Dr. Morris through a set of glass double doors.

The moment Taylor was out of sight Daley pulled her legs up, and hid her face with her knees. Her dad and Olivia sat on either side of her; while Olivia rubbed her back, her father stroked her hair and spoke softly into her ear. Daley didn't hear a single word he said. She pushed her eyes into her kneecaps trying to forget the similarities between the past and now, trying to rid her mind of what had happened to her mother. She couldn't help but worry that everything with Mrs. Hagan would turn out the same as with her own mother, the parallels were unmistakable. And if it did end up that way, if Taylor's mom followed her own mother's path, then Audrie Hagan would soon be dead.


	6. Room 117

**Disclaimer: I do not own Flight 29 Down, or it's characters.**

**I would like to say thanks to my beta and to the people who have reviewed this story!**

* * *

"Room 117: she's right in here. I can let you visit for only a few minutes today." Taylor frowned. "There's still a lot we need to do: CAT scans... tests. But tomorrow you can come and see her for as long as you like." She gave her a sympathetic smile and squeezed her shoulder. "I'll come for you in a bit."

"Thank-you." Dr. Morris nodded and left her alone in the hall. Taylor took a deep breath and moved a few steps forward until she was standing in the doorway of her mother's room. It was dark inside; the only light came from a few rays of sun that peeked through the heavy blinds.

"Mom?" Taylor spoke softly, hoping that, by some miracle, her mother would answer back.

Nothing.

The only sounds were the constant beeping of a heart monitor and the soft _whoosh _of the respirator that breathed for Mrs. Hagan. With shaking hands Taylor pulled her hair into a messy ponytail and walked to her mother's bedside.

"Hi." She felt a wave of sorrow course through her veins again. She sat down on the edge of the bed and slowly brought her fingers to her mother's cheek, lightly tracing over the small cuts that occupied most of the woman's face. _From when the windows shattered._ She tickled behind her earlobe, her best tickle spot, but instead of the usual giggles and squirming, she got absolutely no response. A lump formed in Taylor's throat and she swallowed hard, forcing it down.

_Come on, Mom, you've always been so strong. You can pull through this. You will, and I'm going to be right here, ok? Right here._ Only when she lay down beside her mom did she realize how incredibly exhausted she was. She carefully, so as not to bump any tubes or wires, rested her arm over her mom's stomach and her head onto her chest.

"Mommy, I'm scared. I'm so scared." As she drifted to sleep, memories started to flood into her head. More specifically, memories of Christmas Eve when she was six years old.

_"Mommy, I'm scared! Mommy!" Six-year-old Taylor had run into her parents room around 2:38 in the morning. It was Christmas Eve; well, technically, it was now Christmas. _

_Her father was away on a business trip to Hong Kong, and a storm raged outside. A bolt of lightning, followed by a deafening crash of thunder, caused the little girl to scream at the top of her lungs. The young woman in the bed awoke with a jolt. _

_"Taylor, baby, what's wrong? Are you ok?" She grabbed her hand and gently tugged the crying child closer to the bed._

_"I'm scared." Another crash of thunder rang through the house and Taylor buried her head in her mothers shoulder. _

_Her tiny whimpers did not go unnoticed by her mother, who kissed the top of her head and pulled her onto the bed. She sat Taylor on her lap, tucked them both in under the covers, and snuggled close to her daughter. Lightning illuminated the room like sunshine, and Audrie Hagan caught a glimpse of pure terror on her daughter's face, just before she felt it dig into her neck. She stroked Taylor's hair and cooed softly into her ear:_

_"Nothing's going to harm you, darling. Mommy's right here. It's going to be all right." _

_She felt Taylor relax a little in her arms, which brought her a great relief. Having had a baby at seventeen, she had never felt like she was properly prepared to raise her well. She took things situation to situation, never knowing if what she was doing was going to help Taylor._

_She rocked back and forth, humming a song until she felt Taylor's head limply fall backwards. _

_Taylor awoke later that morning, opening her eyes to see her mother lying beside her with a tiny smile on her face._

_"Merry Christmas, sweetheart."_

_"Merry Christmas."_

"Taylor?" She awoke to someone gently shaking her shoulder.

"Huh? What…?" She sat up, looking dazed and confused, and focused her eyes to see Dr. Morris standing in front of her.

"You fell asleep. It's time for you to leave now."

"Leave?"

"Yeah, you will be staying with the Marin's for the time being. You can come back tomorrow, if you'd like; visiting hours begin at ten. I'll escort you back to the lobby."

Taylor slid off of the bed with her back to the doctor. She took her mother's hand and leaned down to kiss her cheek. "Please don't leave me." She whispered her words softly, squeezing her hand, before she tearfully followed Dr. Morris out of the room.


	7. Sleeping Arraignments

The silence of the Marin's guest bedroom was the most deafening sound Taylor had ever heard in her entire life. Usually the stillness of a bedroom after a trying day brought her great relief; today it only mocked her with fierce relentlessness. She clenched the bed sheets in tight fists praying for either noise, or sleep. Defeated, and tired she tried to cry hoping a few good sobs might chase away all of the quiet, but soon realized that she was vacant of tears. With the fear of waking someone up Taylor decided against singing or even humming.

Comfort. Her skin itched longing for a touch, a hug; her ears ached from straining to hear even the faintest sound. What she wouldn't give to have another person in the room if only to hear them breathe or shift in their sleep.

_Daley. _Of course. Sitting herself up, she slid out of bed and tiptoed into the hallway. It was pitch-blackness, like the center of a black hole somewhere in outer space. Fear instantly pricked at her insides, and she squeezed her eyes closed trying to will it away. It wasn't actual darkness that scared Taylor out of her wits, but of what could be lurking within it. It was the world of the unknown where light was never invited and danger was always a possibility. Her biggest fear was reaching out to find a door, or wall, only to feel her hand fall onto a thick muscular man waiting to make her suffer a horrible and painful death.

_Stop it, _she commanded herself. _You're safe here. Just go forward, one step at a time. _Taking a deep breath, she dreadfully reached her hand out for the wall to find, not human flesh, but indeed the cool plaster of the hallway. With every step forward she acquired a newfound confidence in that she would still be alive to reach Daley's room. She was right. Her big toe collided heavily with Daley's door, and as she clutched it in pain, the figure of a young teenage girl with frizzy hair appeared where the door had once been.

"Taylor," she whispered. "Are you ok? Did you need something?" The blonde girl stumbled over her words trying to hold back a few tears that finally decided to make an appearance.

"I… I don't want to be alone."

Daley offered a tiny smile of understanding and nodded. "Come on." She took Taylor's hand, and leading her to the bed, grabbed her extra pillow and placed in next to her own. They simultaneously climbed into the bed and Daley pulled the covers over their bodies. "I'm right here." She whispered.

"Thanks." Daley gave her friend's hand a squeeze, and then turned over to face the wall. Taylor listened to her steady breathing, finally feeling peaceful and content. When she was sure that Daley had fallen asleep she brought her pinky finger up and rested it on a single strand of her friend's curly red hair just to keep her reminded that she, indeed, was not alone anymore. Daley's breathing was intoning, almost hypnotizing, and acting as Taylor's own personal lullaby, slowly put her into a calm, and despite the day's events, peaceful sleep.

A/N- I know it's been a long time. But things are turning around, and I have internet access back, so updates to my current stories, and any new stories will be more frequent. Thanks!


	8. Channel No 5

"Mom?" Taylor had arrived at St. Anne's Hospital the moment visiting hours began. Now, she stood outside of room #117 awestruck at the sight of her mother standing over the bed she had been confined to the night before. The woman turned at the sound of Taylor's voice, and although perfectly identical to Audrie Hagan, was not her after all.

"Taylor," she breathed. "Oh my God."

"Aunt April." Taylor finally entered the room, meeting her aunt halfway in, and was pulled into her arms. The scent of Channel No. 5 filled Taylor's nose; a familiar scent that always meant one of two things: either her mother's twin sister, April, had come for a visit, or Mrs. Hagan was about to leave the house. When Taylor was younger she would often sit on the edge of the bathtub to watch her mother get ready for work, or simply make a trip to the grocery store. Always the same routine: hair usually pulled into a French twist, just the right amount of make-up, and finally a few mists of Channel No. 5 perfume. It usually made her feel a little sad to smell it. It was the smell her mommy made when she was leaving.

"Taylor. Oh thank God you're ok." She was crying now, pulling her niece a little closer, her body slightly shaking against Taylor's as she broke into sobs. "I- I didn't know what happened to you," she stood with her hands on Taylor's shoulders. "When they called they told me everything, but they didn't say anything about you." She was almost hysterical now; she paced the room a few times before finally collapsing in a chair. Her voice began to break between sobs. "I prayed so hard that you were safe somewhere. I was so afraid you might be dead. Oh my God." Haunting herself with her own words she leaned forward in the chair and hid her face in her hands.

When someone experiences a great shock, they fall into a trance-like state for a few moments until reality comes back to slap them in the face. Taylor was still in that trance. Never in her life had she seen her aunt so upset, nor did she ever know that this woman cared so much about her.

"And look at her!" April's broken voice was the slap that Taylor needed. "Look at my baby sister! My sissy."

_My mother. _Resentment rose in Taylor's throat like a bubble underwater. Sure, her sister could die… but it wasn't her _mom_! How dare she break down like this in front of a girl whose mother may not ever wake up? How dare she force a girl so young to be the adult, and push her own grief aside?

"Oh, God my sissy." She was crying so hard now that she had begun to gag, so Taylor shoved an empty bedpan in front of her face just in time to catch the vomit that flowed from her aunt's mouth like a small stream. She pulled her aunt's dark hair away from her face and rubbed the small of her back.

"Taylor, I'm so sorry." April whispered as she wiped vomit off of her cheek.

"No, it's ok," Taylor had come around and plopped herself in front of her aunt. She rubbed her hands over the woman's knees doing her best to comfort her. "Don't even worry-"

"No, I shouldn't be acting like this. I'm supposed to be here for you, not acting like a child." Every few seconds a few tears escaped her eyes and fell onto Taylor's hands. Guilt ate at Taylor for thinking the exact same thing earlier. Everyone needed to grieve; Taylor realized she wasn't the only one that loved Audrie.

_I'm so selfish._

"You aren't acting like a child. It's ok. Here, I'll take that for you." She reached for the bedpan, but her aunt pulled it away.

"No, that's ok," She finally met Taylor's gaze with eyes so sad that it hurt. "I'll take care of this." She offered her niece whatever smile she could muster, and then headed for the adjoining bathroom. The door remained closed for a long time. Taylor imagined her resting her head on the edge of the toilet, or standing at the mirror trying to clean up her face. By the time her aunt emerged again, fresh as a lily, Taylor had almost dozed off

"I'm staving," she smiled as if she had not a care in the world. "How about you?"

"You just puked your guts out, and you feel like eating?" Taylor giggled a little; it felt strange and unfamiliar in her throat.

"Of course! Do you know me at all? My stomach is now empty, so therefore, I must go fill it up again." This was the aunt that Taylor knew, although the quick change of mood made her anxious. One minute she had been crying uncontrollably, and the next she acted as if it were a normal day and she was not standing in a hospital.

"Sure. The uh, cafeteria food isn't too bad," she replied with reluctance.

"Than hospital food it is." She grabbed her purse, and left the room with Taylor in tow.

…

"You can stay in our guest room, and I'll buy you all new clothes too. Anything you want ok? Hollister, or American Eagle, whatever you want." They sat in the hospital cafeteria surrounded by nurses and people just like themselves.

"Oh, we could just go to Wal-Mart, or Target, Kohl's.

"Please. It's really no problem. I know you always shop at those trendy stores. It's not like I can't afford it. Besides, I want to buy them for you."

"Ok. Thanks." As awkward as it was, Taylor could tell that her aunt wanted to please her just as much as she wanted to please her aunt. After all, she was being kind enough to take her in and all.

"Great, we can go today. So, where did you stay last night?"

"At my friend Daley's house. She lent me her clothes, I should probably return them soon."

"Daley? Daley- what is it- Martin? I thought you 'hated that vile girl.'"

"It's Marin, not Martin. And she isn't vile. I know I said all of that before, but we have grown very close since we were rescued from that island. She's my best friend now. The whole being- stuck- on- an –island thing really forced us to get to know one another. It's not like we could avoid any one person even if we wanted to. We all pretty much formed a bond with everyone else on the island, and even when we got back here to our old friends no one could stay away from each other."

"Wow. You think you would all be sick of each other by then."

"No way."

"I never realized how life changing that experience must have been for you all."

"Very." Taylor smiled thinking of how much better her life had become. She had been much happier. Her new friends liked her for her, not for what clothes she wore or how she styled her hair. She didn't have to act preppy, or bully other girls to gain approval from her friends; that's the way she liked it.

"How about we go visit your mom for a while, go to the mall, then I guess head home?"

_Home. Your home. My home. Our home. _

"Sounds good to me."

And with that, a new chapter of her life had begun.


	9. Welcome Home

"Taylor!" A chorus of three children erupted the moment Taylor stepped through the door to her aunt April's home. The force of the triplets all crashing into her at once almost knocked her over; the doorframe caught her before she even had the chance to fall. She did her best to wrap her arms around them, almost succeeding due to their tiny frames. They simultaneously pulled away from her and began chatting different stories to her all at once, oblivious to the whole reason their cousin Taylor was staying over in the first place. To them, it was just the ultimate sleepover, and it was all the six year olds could think about.

"Ok, let's let our cousin Taylor breathe shall we?" April gently ruffled the head of the only boy in the set of triplets. "Maybe you should take her bags to her room?"

"I'll do that for you!" David, the youngest of the three, gave Taylor a charming smile before picking up the bag that looked the heaviest. He was such a people pleaser, especially to his Taylor. His Taylor. He always told her that when he grew up he was going to marry her.

"I want to help!" Diana, the oldest, pounced on the American Eagle bags, picking them all up in one motion, and raced up the stairs before David even had a chance to move.

Taylor suddenly felt a small hand fit into her own; she looked down to see Danita, the middle triplet, looking up at her with a wide grin.

"Hello." Danita whispered, before letting go and collecting the remaining bags and toting them up the stairs. Despite being the middle child, Danita had always been the smallest, the most timid. For some reason, she always spoke in the tiniest voice even when she was excited.

"Taylor." A timid voice mixed with excitement and caution broke into the room. Taylor turned to see a teenager, a little taller than she was, standing in the doorway that connected to the living room. Taylor sighed with a smile.

"Mandy." The girls came together in a hug, both almost in tears for the very same reasons.

"I'm so sorry." Mandy tried to keep her voice from cracking as she whispered into her cousin Taylor's ear. She played with the ends of her curly blonde hair before letting her go.

"Thanks. Gosh, it's so good to see you 'bestest cousin.'" They giggled at the name they had given themselves so many years ago.

"Bestest cousins." It was a bond they believed to be stronger than anything in the world. One simply had to utter that phrase and mountains would fall, powerless, to the ground. Being a 'bestest cousin' was stronger than any friendship, or romantic relationship that might ever arise in the future. Its power would hold true forever... or so they thought.

"Mand, why don't you and Taylor go to your room?" There was no denying the desperation in April's voice. "Talk... or whatever it is you teenage girls do these days." She gave them a weak smile. The expression on her face told the girls that the moment they left the room that she was going to break down again.

"Uh yeah, come on Taylor." Mandy took the blond girl's hand, and led her up the stairs. About halfway up, Taylor stole one last glance behind her only to see her aunt with her forehead pressed into the wall; you didn't need to have supernatural hearing to hear the tiny muffled crying seeming to come from the wall itself.

Welcome home.

* * *

**A/N- I am thinking about writing the story of Taylor and Mandy's downfall in the next chapter. Is that something you all would be interested in? Review and let me know!**


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